Katie Poehling Seymour

I have truly loved serving as your ASA president, and I am honored that you chose me in this moment.

The year has flown by and it’s hard to believe I’m winding down my time as your American Supply Association president.

My journey as your American Supply Association president is coming to a close in a few short months and I am reminded of the miles traveled, the many people I've met, and the invaluable experiences that have enriched not only my year but my life.

The American Supply Association’s charge is to be our indispensable partner as we navigate the course of change. If you’re not an ASA member, now is the time.

Maybe the most meaningful but unexpected benefits I’ve found in serving as your ASA president this year is the opportunity to learn about the rich history of our industry and our association.

Whether we are manufacturers, reps, distributors or contractors, our industry has quietly been performing essential work for centuries. How do we double down on bringing the best people to the best companies in the best industry?

The Emerging Leaders EMERGE conference in Savannah opened to record-setting attendance (seems to be a theme at ASA events this year!) and nearly half the attendees were experiencing EMERGE for the first time.

While I’m not the first woman to be president of the American Supply Association, I am the first woman with the honor of attending the ASA Women in Industry ELEVATE conference as the ASA president —being the first woman to hold the role since the founding of the group in 2014.

Advocacy is one of the pillars of the American Supply Association. When the association was founded more than 50 years ago, the need to advocate on behalf of the industry as a whole with a unified voice was paramount and the need remains today.

Last month, the room at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida, was brimming with more than 100 volunteers representing multibillion-dollar international companies, regional independent companies, and maybe the lifeblood of the industry, multigenerational family businesses.